Lessons From Seed Sowing

next time they come
i hope they bring soil and green
soothe for the roots
i hope they bring dirt and depth
and plant us in it
we could sure use the grounding
for remembering earth

- Alexis Pauline Gumbs (M Archive: After the End of the World)

…

Not everything sown together sprouts together. Take sprouting seedlings out from under the humidity dome, they don't need that extra day you think they do. Bottom water. Pot up, when necessary. Speak kindly to your soon to be sprouters. They aren't late, they will be right on time. Keep misting their soil. Keep the humidity in for as long as they need. Keep the lights on.

| True leaves are not the thing tucked inside the plant DNA. They are the first signs of life. They grew them all on their own, with an environment that would nurture leaves that spike out and swell. Often, they look nothing like the leaves tucked inside the seed. They are totally and completely themselves.

| Too little light will leave seedlings leggy... focused on growing upwards always straining towards the sun. Those first days of new life will be focused on seeking out the thing it's not getting. It won't focus on growing strong roots or a wide enough stem to support its swaying frame.

| You will need to pot up, tucking the stem under ground right up to the seedling leaves. Bottom water to encourage strong roots that grow down. Bring the sun closer to the seedling. Store bought sun is fine in a pinch.

| Potting up the first time is hard. Some seedlings with wide leaves have weak roots. Thank them for trying, then compost, or use for salad.*

| Everything can be used in the garden. Toilet paper rolls, berry and tomato plastics. Water bottles. Find endless possibility in the recycling bin.

| This is a space for watching and dreaming. You are shaping the future, in the present. Don’t be ashamed of how much you daydream with soil scattered across the floor.

| Something is always happening. The nubs of green poking out between seed leaves. The unfurling stems, just under the soil surface. The fuzz of root growth. The sucking of moisture. More bursts of green. How are they already peeking out? More pronounced. More. Oh. More.
Something is always happening.

| You only need to know you can once. And then it's possible... Always.

Existence is fractal - the health of the cell is the health of the species and the planet.
- Adrienne Maree Brown (Emergent Strategies)

*This choice, like everything else is a matter of space and resources. I have a limited budget for soil starter, 6 thin grow lights, one wall of south facing windows and not enough trays. I wonder how many seedlings I could grow with infinite space and infinite resources.